The Admin and the Pauper
"The Admin and the Pauper" is the 3rd episode of Once Upon a Virus. Summary When Justine is kidnapped, Renato goes out of his way to rescue her - but a conspiracy lies in wake which prevents him from doing so. And in the Wikia world that was, Lady Junky is prepared for the sysop masquerade ball; meanwhile, a certain someone plans on gatecrashing. Plot It's a dark and stormy night. Justine is sitting in her apartment alone, bored, awaiting the return of her fiancé, Benjamin Leech. There is a knock at the door, and the beautiful blonde sighs. "Forgot your key again, Ben?" she says to herself as she goes to answer. But when she opens the door, it isn't Ben who's on the other side: it's a figure dressed all in black, mask and all, carrying a gun. Justine screams, but her noise is cut short when the gun is cracked over her head. The little Mayoress crumples to the floor, unconscious, and Valentina Cunning removes her mask. She smiles down at Justine, whose sleeping face is zoomed in on. Lady Junky's eyes shoot open as she's awoken by the sudden light caused when her maid opened the curtains. "Wakey wakey," says MaryPierceLopez, "You have to start getting ready." Lady groans and sits up. "The ball isn't until this evening." "Exactly!" Mary exclaims, "And there's so much to do. We have to alter your dress, update your mask, do your hair, have your shoes fitted—" Lady groans again and falls back asleep. Mary rolls her eyes and grabs a mirror from the lavish dressing table, shining it near the window and making it so the light catches Lady in the eyes. "Alright! Alright, I'm awake!" she exclaims, getting up and out of bed. "Then let's get to work," says Mary, "Tonight's a big night. Who knows, you could even meet your true love…" Elsewhere in the Once Upon a Time Wiki, Rena Charming is seen slamming his hammer down on a sheet of metal, moulding it into the perfect sword. "Okay, Rena," says his father, TV Aficionado, and Rena stops what he's doing; his father continues, "You've worked really hard this week and produced some of your best work yet – so I'm gonna reward you by giving you the day off." "Really?" Rena asks, joyous, "But… who's gonna finish this sword?" "I will," TV assures him, "Now you, go, enjoy yourself." Rena is ecstatic and leaves the blacksmiths' tent, wandering through the market village in which he lives. He is soon seen conversing with his friend, RenaBOT, who is happy to hear that his buddy is free for the day. "It lines up perfectly," he says, but Rena Charming wonders what he means. "There's a sysop ball tonight. Masquerade. I wasn't gonna gatecrash, but now that you're available, we can do it together!" he exclaims excitedly. "How are we gonna crash a sysop ball? We don't exactly have any—" At this, RenaBOT opens a chest wherein he keeps regal attire, fit for a Bureaucrat. "Where did you get those?" Rena wonders, at which RenaBOT reveals he stole them. Rena looks shocked, but his friend tells him to lighten up – "With these clothes and some masks on our faces, the rich girls aren't gonna be able to tell us apart from the Administrators. They'll have no clue we're common users." Rena is seen to be pondering the suggestion. In Storywik, Renato is seen wiping down the bar of The Sword and Hammer as Joe sits down at it, nursing his drink, when Ricardo Jones – the Virus counterpart of RenaBOT – walks in. "Hey, Ricardo," Rena greets, and Ricardo greets him in turn; "Did you hear about the Mayor's daughter?" he asks. "What about the Mayor's daughter?" Rena asks, looking extremely worried, and Joe's interest is piqued also. "I heard she was kidnapped at her house. No one knows where she is," Ricardo reveals, and Rena's eyes widen with shock and worry. Immediately, he drops his cloth and runs out of the bar. Ricardo raises an eyebrow, and Joe tells him that it was lovely to meet him, before running after Renato. Soon, Rena and Joe are seen approaching Justine's apartment, and Joe tries to point out that they can't help much by being there. Josh and Ben can be seen inside whereas Sheriff Elizabeth Knight is investigating by the door; examining the exact scene of the crime. "What are you doing here?" she wonders. "What's happened to Justine?" Rena demands to know. "What's it to you?" she continues to wonder. "He's just worried about her," Joe chimes in, "Could you tell us what you know so far?" "Well, it looks like Miss King was knocked out here and dragged from her apartment – but I don't know anything other than that," she reveals. "Oh, God…" Rena says, beginning to hyperventilate, "What if something terrible's happened to her?" "Being kidnapped is pretty terrible," Joe points out, but Rena points out in turn that Joe is not helping; he apologizes. "What are you two doing here?" Josh demands as he steps out of the apartment and sees them. "We're here to help with the investigation," Joe tells him. "Did you authorize this?" he asks Liz, but she shakes her head, staying quiet, and the Mayor turns back to Rena and Joe. "Here's my advice to you – go home. Before you become a hindrance. My daughter's safety is top priority, and I don't need you two imbeciles screwing it up." "We're here to help," Joe argues, "So that's what we'll do." Liz heads back into the apartment, and Josh squares up to his two enemies; "Listen here: it's in your best interests not to interfere." He then heads back into the apartment and slams the door behind him. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Joe asks Rena, and Rena replies, "It means something fishy's going on here… I never did like the look of that Mayor…" Reginafan2626 is seen standing at the sysop ball dressed all in his regular black and scary attire – complete with scythe. The only difference is a black masquerade mask which actually adds to his fearful demeanor. "Father," Lady Junky says, approaching him in her gorgeous gown and mask which accentuates her beautiful features, "Do you have to dress like that at a ball? You're frightening our people…" "Oh, darling… I threw this ball to frighten our people. They need to be reminded who's in charge. How else am I to maintain their support and respect?" "You could maintain their support and respect by being a loving, caring ruler," Lady suggests, but he laughs, thinking this is some sort of joke. "Now go," he says, "Enjoy yourself," and he wanders off. Lady turns and immediately has a drink spilled down the front of her dress. "I'm so sorry," says Rena Charming, standing there with an empty goblet – dressed regally and also wearing a mask. "It's okay," Lady assures him, "It's my fault, really." "But I've ruined your dress," he points out. "I have others," she assures him, and MaryPierceLopez is seen approaching. "Mrs. Lady," she says, "Your dress… Come now, I'll help you clean up." "No need, Mary," Lady tells her, "I came here tonight to dance, and I shall waste no time in doing so." She then turns to Rena Charming and asks if he'd like to; he graciously accepts. The Admin and the pauper then take to the dance floor, slow dancing with one another. "So, handsome stranger, where are you from?" she wonders. "I'm Administrator KlaineObsessed of the Glee Wiki," he lies, but she immediately sees through this. "No, you're not," she says, feeling his hands with her own, "Your hands are rough: they've known work. Blacksmithing, at a guess." "You guess correctly," he tells her, and she asks if he sneaked into the ball tonight. "I did, yes," he admits, "Are you now obliged to throw me out?" "Don't worry, I won't tell," she whispers, and he smiles, saying he thought it would be nice to see how "the other half" live. "So, mysterious blacksmith, what's your real name?" "Rena Charming," he says, removing his mask. "Fitting," she tells him, removing her own, "I'm A—" "Administrator Lady Junky," he says, "I know. And let me say, I've heard many tales of your beauty. I'm happy to know that none of them are true." She appears briefly offended, but he quickly adds, "In that you are far, far more beautiful than what any amount of words can describe." "Why, thank you," she says, "You're not too bad yourself." They smile at one another, and the music soon comes to an end. "This is… where we switch partners," she says disappointedly. "But I don't want to," he says, to which she replies, "Me neither." New music starts playing, and they continue dancing with one another into the night, placing their masks back on their faces. Duct tape is ripped from Justine's face and, with her mouth free, she screams. "Shut up!" yells the black figure that kidnapped her; Valentina wears a device on her face which masks her voice. The beautiful blonde is tied to a chair in a rather dank building which has quite clearly met with fire. "Who are you?" Justine asks, tears streaming from her eyes, "What do you want?" "To turn you in to your rich father for a ransom, of course. In fact, I think I'll call him now and discuss terms." Justine looks fearful as Valentina leaves the room. She removes her mask, and the voice-moderator, and takes out her cell phone, dialling Josh's number. "How's it going?" Josh asks, to which Valentina replies, "All according to plan." "Excellent," Josh says with an eerie smile. Back at The Sword and Hammer, Rena appears panicked, saying that he has to rescue Justine. Joe tries to remind him that Sheriff Knight is on the job, but Rena points out that three people are more likely to find her than one. "Three?" Joe questions. "Well, you'll help me search, right?" Rena requests. "So it's settled? You are searching?" "Of course. I… I have to save her." "Are you sure this isn't just to… impress Justine?" Joe wonders. "Of course not!" Rena exclaims, "I am genuinely concerned for her safety!...and I want to impress her. Now come on!" "Where are we going?" Joe asks. "The Mayor will be gone by now. Let's head back to the scene of the crime. There could be something there the sheriff missed." He leaves and Joe follows. The shot closes of Rena's determined face. And zooms out from his sleeping one. Rena Charming lies next to Lady Junky in her bedroom at the palace, the two of them having spent the night together. "Last night was amazing," he says as he wakes up. "That it was," says Lady. "Mrs. Lady," MaryPierceLopez calls as she enters the room, "Time to wa—" She screams. Lady is stunned and shushes her maid. "Mary, Mary, calm down, okay? Just… don't tell my father, please," Lady begs. "That's going to be a problem," says Mary, "Because he's on his way to talk to you now." Lady's eyes widen, and she pushes Rena out of bed. "Get dressed, and climb out the window," she instructs him, before turning to her maid, "Stall him." Rena quickly begins putting his clothes from the previous night back on, and once he's done so, a knock is heard at the door. "Lady Junky…" Reginafan2626's voice is heard saying. Rena quickly hides behind the bed, but Mary steps out and tells the Evil Bureaucrat that he's going to have to wait, for his daughter's not decent. Rena begins climbing out the window, his feet rested on the trellis of her message wall, and he promises to see her again. The two of them part with a passionate kiss, and Rena climbs down the trellis and out of sight just as Reginafan enters the room. "Hello, father," Lady greets, and he greets her in turn. "What is it you wanted to talk to me about?" Lady wonders, and Reginafan reveals that he met Administrator Villain fan of Lostpedia at the ball last night – he's arranged for the two of them to meet, and if things go well, Villain could even end up being her husband. Ben is seen sitting in his apartment, not looking at all worried about the fact that his fiancée's been kidnapped. Meanwhile, Rena and Joe show up outside. "So, what are we looking for?" Joe wonders. "Just… clues. Anything you can find," Rena tells him. They begin scouring the floor, and eventually, Joe asks, "What's this?" He runs his hands across a trail of faint black powder on the floor. "Soot," Rena clarifies, getting a closer look. "So, the kidnapper's been spending a lot of time around soot? Does that narrow it down?" says Joe. "Actually, yes…" Rena tells him. "There's an old bakery on the outskirts of town. Burned down… well, I don't remember when specifically, but it's never been repaired." "Great," says Joe, "So that's where we'll look. Lead the way." Rena begins leaving and Joe follows on. The two of them soon arrive at the abandoned, wrecked bakery beside the woods and enter, going up a shaky flight of stairs. "Careful," Rena whispers. Joe nods, and they soon made it to a closed door. Rena opens it a crack and peers in… and sees Lady, tied to a chair, looking scared out of her life. "Oh my God…" Rena utters, "She's in there!" "Well, what are you waiting for? Let's go save her!" Joe exclaims. "Right," says Rena, preparing to barge in, but suddenly, a block of wood hits him round the head and he's knocked out. Joe doesn't have time to look confused, for a the same block of wood hits him too. He too falls unconscious. The air ripples and Josh emerges from some sort of cloaking spell. "I told you two not to screw this up!" he says to himself, "My daughter will love the man I set out for her!" His face looks determined as ever. Reginafan2626 is seen approaching Lady's bedroom. He goes to knock but sees that the door's been left open a crack, and so he peers in. Lady is talking with Rena Charming through her window; he again stands on the trellis. "I know you're getting married soon," Rena says, "But I can't live without you. I love you, Lady." "And I, you," she assures him, "But my father is very insistent and he's not the kind of man one should cross." "He doesn't frighten me," Rena tells her, but Lady tells him in turn that he should; "He's a very powerful man." "I don't believe that his vile magic is as strong as our love. Run away with me, Lady. I'm sick of this tawdry affair; these stolen moments. I want to be with you… forever. I know you're not used to a life of poverty, and I am a mere blacksmith, but…" "I don't care about money," she says, "As long as I have you." "Are you saying…?" "Yes, I will run away with you," she promises. "Excellent!" Rena exclaims, "I shall meet you by the palace gates, tomorrow." "I'll see you then, my love," she utters, kissing him with passion once more before he climbs down the trellis. Reginafan2626 continues listening at the door, and looks horrified. Josh looks happy when Ben arrives at the old bakery. "Are you ready?" he asks. "As ready as I'll ever be," Ben replies. He then spots the unconscious Rena and Joe in the corner; "What are they doing here?" "Never mind them, I had a run a little interference. Now go, rescue my daughter," Josh urges. "Okay," Ben says, taking a deep breath. He then barges into the room and Lady looks shocked. Val stays where she is, and with one faked punch, she falls to the floor instantly, playing unconscious. Ben unties Lady and carries her in his arms. She is too shocked to speak. "Don't worry, baby. I've got you." "You… you saved me," she utters. "Yes I did," says Ben. "I… I guess you're my hero," she adds, and Josh (who's hiding behind another cloaking spell, shielding Rena and Joe also) smiles as Ben carries his fiancée to safety. Reginafan2626 approaches Rena Charming, who's standing outside the palace gates, waiting for Lady Junky. "Looking for my daughter?" the Evil Bureau asks. Rena looks rather intimidated. "Why, no, your majesty. What on Wikia would give you that idea?" he asks nervously. "I heard you," Reginafan reveals, "Making plans to run away with my daughter. I'm not going to allow it." Rena suddenly finds his strength and draws himself up to his full height, saying, "She's not yours to control. Lady Junky is a woman now and she's capable of making her own decisions!" "Which means she's capable of making the wrong decisions," Reginafan points out. "They're still hers to make!" "Oh, dear boy, no… they're mine." "You know… I never really believed people when they said you were the 'Evil Bureaucrat'… but now I see it." "Infer what you like, I don't care so long as you leave and never come back," Reginafan orders. "Never," says Rena, drawing a homemade sword, "I love Lady and I am willing to fight you for her." "Oh, you foolish boy," Reginafan comments, holding out his spare hand and consuming the blacksmith in flames. However, the flames do nothing and extinguish upon contact with him. Reginafan looks confused. He continues trying to kill Rena with magic, but it continues having no effect. "I knew your powers were no match for our love," Rena exclaims, and Reginafan rolls his eyes, sarcastically saying, "Yes, that must be it…" He then swings his scythe towards Rena, but Rena blocks it with his sword. A battle rages, but the two of them appear evenly matched with their respective weapons. Soon enough, Reginafan simply grabs the charming young lad by the arm and the two of them disappear in a large cloud of black. They reappear in a rather frightening place; a dark forest filled with dark creatures and magic; evil things can be heard scuttling around in the eternal night. "What is this place?!" Rena demands to know, and Reginafan smiles evilly before revealing, "This is the Creepypasta Wiki – and it's where you shall remain." The Evil Bureau raises a hand and forms a pair of cuffs. They latch themselves to Rena's wrist, causing him to drop his sword, and chain him to a tree, which Reginafan then makes indestructible with a brief spell. "The nightmares of this Wiki should drive you to insanity – or kill you – providing you don't starve to death first. Either way, you are finished." "I will find a way to escape – love always finds a way!" Rena exclaims. Reginafan laughs, "Good luck with that. If you'll excuse me, I have a daughter to control. You're a blacksmith, Rena Charming. Administrators don't marry blacksmiths. They marry other Administrators. Hopefully this whole experience will teach you to never again play out of your league. Of course, it doesn't matter what lesson you learn. Dead men don't tend to change." The Evil Bureau then disappears in another flurry of black smoke. He appears back outside the palace gates, where Lady Junky is now waiting with a small bag of possessions. "Father…" she utters, shocked to see him. He reaches behind his back and creates a piece of paper with writing on it, pretending to pull it from his pocket and hand it to her. "I found this pinned to the gates this morning. It's for you." Lady takes the note and begins reading aloud… Tears stream from Lady's eyes and her father embraces her, stroking her hair in an attempt to comfort his daughter. "Don't worry, my darling. I know exactly what will cheer you up: a wedding. Villain fan will let you forget all about this… Rena Charming." Renato walks back into The Sword and Hammer, looking rather defeated, with Joe trailing along behind. "We failed," Rena utters. "But at least Justine was rescued," Joe points out. "Yes," Rena nods, "That's the important thing," he tells himself. Suddenly, Liz enters the premises, looking pensive. "What is it, Liz?" Joe wonders, and she sadly says, "Renato Smith… you're under arrest." "What?!" Rena exclaims, "Why?!" "Benjamin Leech gave his report on the kidnapping… he said he saw you at the scene of the crime. I'm afraid all the evidence points to you being the kidnapper." "That's ridiculous!" Rena tells her. "You can't seriously believe this," Joe adds. "I don't," Liz admits, "But I've got to do my job." She takes out a pair of handcuffs and tells Rena that it'll be better for him if he doesn't struggle. Rena remains quiet and shocked as the sheriff cuffs him. Over at Storywik General Hospital, Nurse Joanna Seer enters the room of Natalia Grant. "Good news," the nurse says. "What, you need another stool sample?" Natalia asks, unenthusiastically. "No, silly," Joanna says, "You're free to go, so to speak." "You mean… I can leave?" Natalia realizes excitedly. "Absolutely. You have a place to live and a steady job as a… Sorry, what was it?" "I'm a maid," Natalia replies grudgingly. "Yes," Joanna continues, "And you've been deemed perfectly healthy, so there's really no need to keep you under observation any longer. You can pack up and go home." Natalia smiles and happily hugs the nurse, who proceeds to exit the room. She heads to the nurse's station where she finds Natalia's chart; it rather clearly states she's to stay under observation for a few weeks longer, but Joanna removes the paper and sticks it into the nearby shredder. She smiles. "I'm so devious," she says to herself, joyously; she gives her red hair and flick with her hand and continues to go about her day. Rena is seen locked up in a cell in the Sheriff's Station. "Sorry about this," Liz says from her desk, but Rena assures her it's okay; he just hopes this will all get cleared up in good time. "Sheriff Knight," Justine's voice is heard saying, and the blonde beauty enters the station, "Free this man, immediately." "What?" Liz says. "Justine…" Rena utters fondly. "I remember very specifically that it was a woman who knocked me out and kidnapped me. This man is completely innocent. You say he badgered you to see how the case was going? Well, my attacker was with me the entire time. This man was simply trying to help." "I have a name," Rena mutters. "Sorry," says Justine, "Renato." Renato looks like he's about to melt as Liz succumbs to Justine's versions of events and opens the door to the jail cell, saying she'll put all this in the report; she asks if Justine will stay to help her put everything together, and she agrees to. "Um, thank you for helping me," Rena says, and Justine replies, "My pleasure." She extends a hand and he shakes it. The moment they come into contact with one another, they both feel something. They stare deeply into each other's eyes for what seems like an eternity to them, but they seen cut off the handshake and Rena makes his way out of the Sheriff's Station after bidding his true love goodbye. Joe is seen sitting in his room at the B&B when he gets a phone call. "Hello?" he answers, and Rena is on the other line. "Is this your one phone call? Shouldn't you call a lawyer or something?" Joe wonders. "No need, I'm free," Rena explains. "Amazing! How did that happen?" "Justine. It was all her. She came in, said I wasn't the attacker and… Liz was obliged to free me." "That's great!" Joe exclaims. "Yeah, it is," Rena agrees, "So now I want to thank you." "Thank me?" "You helped me find her even though you didn't have to; even though it was a stupid thing to do… so I cleared everything with my dad and he's agreed to let you sublet our spare room." "Oh…" Joe utters, "I don't have any money…" "Not a problem," says Rena, "Because he's also agreed to let you tend bar. So, what do you think?" "My car's going to be out of the shop in a couple of days…" "I'm not hearing a 'no'," Rena points out, and Joe says, "Oh, what the heck, yes. I guess I'm staying in Storywik." "Excellent," Rena says, "I'll see you here soon." He hangs up the phone, but Joe receives another call. "Hey, Joe…" says a familiar voice. "Hi, Natalia…" Joe replies courteously. "Look, I know you think I'm a total loon, but I just got out of hospital and my apartment has a spare bedroom and I know you don't have a place to stay, so…" "Actually, I do." "What?" "Have a place to stay. I'm going to be living in the apartment about The Sword and Hammer. Thank you for the offer, though." "No problem," says Natalia, hanging up the phone angrily. As Josh makes his way to his office, he sees Joe entering The Sword and Hammer with a small box of possessions, and looks deeply annoyed. Soon enough, he's inside and sitting behind his desk when there is a knock on his door. "Come in," Josh summons, and Ricardo Jones enters. "What can I do for you?" Josh wonders, and Ricardo says it's about Justine's kidnapping. "What about it?" "It's just… earlier I saw Renato Smith heading to the old bakery with the new guy, so I followed them, wondering where they were going, and I saw Benjamin Leech leaving with Justine in his arms… but out the back, I saw your PA, Valentina Cunning, leaving, dressed all in black and carrying a gun. I know Rena was freed because your daughter says her attacker was a woman, so… I think you should look into it." "And tell me, Ricardo, have you told this to the sheriff?" Josh wonders. "No, but I plan to," Ricardo says, "I came here first in case you were in danger or something. After all, if your PA is willing to kidnap your daughter to get money out of you, what might she do to you?" "I see…" Josh says, getting up from his desk and walking over to the door; he locks it. "You're right, Ricardo. Valentina did kidnap Justine… per my instructive…" "I… don't understand," Ricardo says. "And you're not going to," Josh tells him. He splays his hand and Ricardo is soon reduced to a pile of dust on the carpet. The magic Mayor heads towards the phone and dials a number; "Hello, Valentina? I'm going to need you in my office immediately… bring a vacuum." Category:Season 1 Category:Episodes Category:Lady Junky-Centric Category:Rena Charming-Centric